A Total Eclipse Of The Heart
by SAgleek22
Summary: "Rachel Barbara Berry get back in here!" Her father Leroy yelled. She reached Quinn's car and climbed in. "Where are you going?" Hiram yelled after his daughter. Before Rachel shut the car door she yelled out to her fathers, "California!"
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! Thanks for coming to my story and I hope you enjoy it! **

** Authors Note: It's about one month into the school year. Jesse is off in California and he and Rachel haven't spoke since the "egg incident". Rachel and Quinn are bestfriends and Rachel and Finn tried a relationship over the summer but he ended up cheating on her with Santana. **

Rachel Berry was a strong girl, she was smart, talented, and was really going places, (Broadway she preferred.) So why is this strong girl sitting in her room watching musicals, eating ice cream, and crying?

**Two Weeks Earlier**

Rachel Berry had just got off the phone with her two-month boyfriend Finn Hudson. They were supposed to go out that night, but he called saying he had the flu and we couldn't go out.

She had just remembered that he said a few days earlier his mother was going to be out of town on business for the week. She didn't want him to be alone when he was sick and have no one to take care of him. She'll take him over some soup.

About a half hour later the soup was finished and she got in her car and drove to Finn's house.

She assumed he was upstairs in his room so she let herself in, he had showed her where the spare key was one night when he forgot his key. She walked upstairs to his bedroom to see him with Santana. He was lying over her, his lips pressed to hers.

I dropped the bowl of soup and it spilled all over the floor and his head flew up.

"Rachel! What are you doing here!" He yelled getting off of Santana who sat there and said nothing.

"I felt bad you were sick, home alone. I brought you soup." Rachel said quietly. "You can eat it off the floor you pig!" She yelled before running out of the room with tears in her eyes and another broken heart.

…

….

Rachel Berry was sitting in her bed curled up in a blanket, squeezing a care bear when she saw the door open and her best friend Quinn walk in with a smile.

"Rachel, sweetie, what's wrong?" Quinn asked sitting down next to Rachel on her bed. Rachel laid her head on Quinn's shoulder and she spoke again. "Finn or Jesse?"

"Both."

**One Month Earlier**

"Rachel what's wrong?" Quinn Frabray asked to the girl staring off into the ceiling in her best friend's room.

"Nothing." Rachel muttered back.

Quinn raised her eyebrows at her and Rachel spoke again "Jesse leaves for California today."

"Well then what are you doing! Go talk to him." Quinn yelled.

Rachel rolled her eyes but a few minutes later muttered, "You think?"

"Yes! Go, take my car!" Quinn yelled throwing her car keys to Rachel. Rachel sat up and smiled before running out of the house to Quinn's car.

She took the same familiar route Jesse took when he would take her back to his home. She arrived in twenty-five minutes and ran up the stairs and knocked on the door.

A few seconds later a short, Hispanic woman opened the door and she recognized her as Maria, the St James maid.

"Oh Rachel! I haven't seen you in so long what are you doing here?" She asked excitingly.

"I'm here to see Jesse, where is he?" Rachel answered bluntly.

"Oh I'm sorry honey. He left for California, an hour ago." Maria answered.

"Oh." Was all that could escape Rachel's mouth. She nodded to the woman who shut the door. Rachel walked to Quinn's car and started to drive back to Quinn's house, with tears in her eyes.

She arrived back at Quinn's house in the same amount of time it took her to get to Jesse's.

She walked back into Quinn's bedroom and hugged her tightly.

Rachel whispered in her ear, "He's gone."

…

…

"Come on Rach, let's go shopping! That always makes you feel better!" Quinn said excitingly. Rachel nodded her head and got up and got dressed and walked outside to Quinn's car and they made their way to the mall.

They were walking around and Quinn turned into Victoria's Secret.

"Quinn do we really have to go in here?" Rachel asked unenthusiastically.

"Please Rachel! I think Puck and I are going to go to that next level and-" She began to say but Rachel opened her mouth to speak but Quinn cut her off, "Shut up, I know we already had a kid but we gave her up for adoption and we only had sex that one time." Quinn said and Rachel nodded and she continued, "I want something special, something sexy."

Rachel rolled her eyes and nodded and they walked into the store. Quinn immediately found something walked into the dressing room. Rachel watched to make sure Quinn wasn't coming out and started looking at a piece of lingerie.

When she peaked at the price tag Quinn walked out of the dressing room.

"Who's that for?" She asked excitingly.

"N-No o-one." Rachel stuttered out.

Quinn smiled, "It's pretty, you should buy it." Quinn said before looking in the mirror at herself.

"You think?" Rachel asked holding it up to herself. Quinn nodded, but kept her eyes focused on herself.

They shopped around a little more but Quinn ended up buying the first thing she tried on and a few other things, Rachel did end up buying the piece of lingerie she was looking at after some convincing from Quinn.

Quinn and Rachel went back to Rachel's house and went up to her room and started flipping through the TV channels. Quinn was under the covers eating ice cream and Rachel was sitting next to her.

"Ooh! Romeo and Juliet!" Quinn said turning the channel to the movie playing on TBS.

Quinn got wrapped up in the movie and didn't hear Rachel.

"I miss my Romeo…" Rachel whispered lightly.

"Did you say something?" Quinn asked not taking her eyes off the television screen.

"N-N-No, nothing." Rachel stuttered out.

"Yes you did. What'd you say?" Quinn asked turning towards Rachel.

"I said I miss my Romeo." Rachel said sighing.

"Jesse?" Quinn asked and Rachel nodded. "What about Finn, you only broke up two weeks ago."

Rachel sighed again, but Quinn spoke. "Who do you love?"

"Finn never smashed an egg on forehead….." Rachel said not answering Quinn's question so she repeated, "Who do you love?"

"But Jesse never cheated on me….." Rachel said, still not answering her question.

"God dammit Rachel! WHO DO YOU LOVE?" Quinn yelled and Rachel didn't answer.

Quinn rolled her eyes but turned her attention back to the movie for now.

After the movie was over Quinn went home and Rachel went to bed thinking about her Romeo and Juliet romance with Jesse St James. Why was everything easier when it was like that, it got more difficult after he transferred! And then transferred back….but still.

She drifted to sleep and awoke the next morning in a sweat.

"I love him." She whispered before grabbing her cell phone and dialing Quinn's number.

"Rachel? It's seven o'clock on a Saturday, what's wrong?" Quinn asked.

"Quinn! I love him! I love Jesse!" Rachel yelled ecstatically. Quinn smiled on the other end of the phone line.

"I know." Quinn said.

"What do I do now?" Rachel asked, puzzled.

"Isn't it obvious?" Quinn asked and Rachel scrunched her eyebrows. "Go see him!"

"He's in California!" Rachel yelled at the irrational suggestion.

"So! Get a plane ticket and go see him!" Quinn yelled back.

Rachel sat there pondering the idea before speaking, "Alright, come pick me up in a half hour."

Quinn smiled, "Wait, why do I have to come get you? You can drive."

"Because I can't leave my car parked in the airport parking lot." Rachel responded.

"Okay, fine. But you better be ready so get your butt moving and start packing. I'll see you in a bit." Quinn said and hung up the phone.

She pulled out her suitcase and starting throwing the necessities in. She was going to be in California so she packed mostly shorts and skirts and t-shirts and tank tops, her make-up, her tooth brush and tooth paste, her brush, a bottle of Tylenol, her swimsuit, and on the very top she placed her new piece of lingerie.

She watched out her window and saw Quinn pull up in the drive way. She grabbed her bag and ran down the stairs.

When she reached the door she opened it up and yelled to her fathers, "Bye Daddies! I'll see you in a few days." She was halfway down the driveway when her fathers were at the door yelling at her.

"Rachel Barbara Berry get back in here!" Her father Leroy yelled. She reached Quinn's car and climbed in.

"Where are you going?" Hiram yelled after his daughter.

Before Rachel shut the car door she yelled out to her fathers, "California!"

….

….

….

** Review =]**


	2. Chapter 2

** Hey guys, I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long! I've been really busy lately and kinda had writers block and I've been really busy. Starting volleyball practice, going out of state next week to see my sister, and just been really busy lol.**

** But I hope you enjoy this chapter (: **

** Also, thoughts are going to be in italics. **

As Quinn drove away heading for the airport Rachel felt a rush of guilt and worry wash over her.

What if Jesse wasn't happy to see her? What if he had a girlfriend? What was going to happen to her when she got back to Lima? What were her fathers going to do? She had already had six missed calls on her cell phone from them in the fifteen minutes she was gone.

"Don't worry, Rach. Everything will work out, you'll see." Quinn said smugly seeing the worried look on Rachel's face.

They made it to the airport in a half hour and Quinn dropped Rachel off at the door and got out to give her a hug.

"Thanks for this Quinn, I really appreciate it." Rachel whispered into Quinn's ear.

"No problem. Call me when you land, okay? And after you see Jess." She said and Rachel promised she would before walking into the airport.

She had a plane delay so she was late leaving and it didn't actually take off until 2:00.

…

Her plane landed in six hours and she walked off the plane, immediately turning her phone on and calling Quinn letting her know she was there safely and on her way to UCLA.

She walked outside and was taken in with the warm air; it was just starting to get cold in Lima, the beginning of fall, leaves changing color. But here, it felt like the middle of summer.

She waved down a taxi and got in.

"I need you to take me to UCLA, please." She told the cab driver who immediately sped off.

She pulled out her phone and decided to text her fathers that she was okay.

_Dad and Daddy,_

_ I'm here and I'm okay, please don't be angry with me. I know what I'm doing. I'll be home soon._

_ Love Rachel_

She sent the message, she had decided not to call them so she didn't get screamed at over the phone, he fathers didn't usually like to yell as opposed to calm talking and reasoning, but she had a feeling that skipping the border, even if it was only the Ohio state border, was reason enough for them to yell.

Before she arrived at the school she asked the cab driver if he could take a little detour for something to eat.

It had taken her longer to pick a place to eat, she was mostly just stalling but she bought the cab driver dinner too so he didn't seem to mind.

They finished their dinner and got back on the road, heading towards UCLA.

She arrived at the school and got out of the cab, giving him thirty dollars for the trip.

She breathed in the warm California before entering the main building.

She walked in and saw a man standing there that looked the same age as Jesse so she decided to go over and see if he knew him.

"Excuse me," She began putting her, _I am Rachel Barbara Berry_ face on. "Do you happen to know Jesse St James?"

"Ohh! Jesse's my boy!" He said loudly, sounding intoxicated. "How do you know him?" He finished, his words slurring.

I closed my eyes before muttering out, "Old friend."

He was satisfied with the answer, "He's in that building over there," He said pointing out the window, "Room 22, on the 5th floor."

I smiled widely at him and he returned the gesture, "Thank you very much….?" I began realizing I didn't even know his name.

He caught onto my dilemma and said, "John."

"John." I repeated shaking his hand before walking out. He waved as I turned outside the door and I waved back to him before making my way to Jesse's dorm.

…..

Jesse's room was easy to find, thanks to John's directions. I finished climbing the fifth flight of stairs and walked down the hall, searching for the door with a 22 on it.

The hallway was vacant, it was about 11:30 pm. She hoped Jesse wasn't already asleep.

She reached the door with the number 22 on it set down her bag on the floor next to her.

Rachel took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock on the door.

Her hand was inches away from the door before she lowered it quickly and turned around prepared to leave. She forgot her suitcase was sitting there and as she tried to run away from Jesse's door she tripped and started falling towards the ground.

She let out and high pitched scream and crashed onto the ground.

"Ow." She said quietly laying there with no more will power left to get up, that was until she heard the door open.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" She heard Jesse's voice and turned over from off the ground to see him kneeling down next to her shirtless and in a pair of athletic shorts. "Rachel?"

"Uhh, hi Jesse." I said trying to get up, wishing I hadn't done this in the first place.

"Rachel what are you doing here?" He asked quietly, grabbing her hand pulling her off the ground, looking at her with a confused look on his face.

"I-I-I-I came to see you." She replied, just as quietly. He wiped his hand over his face, she had woken him up, but Rachel took this gesture as annoyance, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come, I'll just go." She said picking her bag up and fumbling with her things until Jesse put his hand on her shoulder.

"Rachel, don't be like that. I just wasn't expecting you, but you came all this way and I'm not just going to let you turn around leave." He said and she nodded and entered his dorm room.

He turned the light on and she looked around, setting her suitcase down.

His room had one bed in it, right next to the window in the corner. His desk was on the wall, right next to the door. The closet was in the other corner.

She saw a few pictures tacked up on the board over his desk. All of pictures were Vocal Adrenaline with their trophy after four Regional wins, except one. The other picture was of Rachel and Jesse. She had taken it during the Wiggles concert they went to after they had started dating.

Rachel noticed this picture almost immediately. _I had this picture in my room….but I didn't know where it went. The last time he was in my room was when he put the tape from Shelby in. Did he know that was the last time he'd be in my room?_

He shut the door and walked in, feeling the awkwardness between them, but he couldn't take his eyes off of her. He watched her as she wandered aimlessly around the room. _Why am I so worried about her opinion? It's just a dorm room. Why do I care what she thinks about it? _

"One bed?" She asked, breaking the silence in the room and snapping him back into reality.

"My father pulled some strings and got me a single room." He answered.

"Oh, that's nice." She replied, increasing the awkwardness.

"Rachel, why are you here?" He asked, with sincerity in his voice.

She turned around so she wasn't looking at him any longer.

"I'm sorry Jesse but I'm very tired. Can we talk in the morning?" She replied to him, trying to avoid the question as much as possible.

He sighed. "Okay Rachel. But we will talk in the morning." She nodded to him. "You can have the bed, I'll sleep on the floor."  
"Thank you." She whispered back to him sitting on the bed and crawling under the covers.

"Can you hand me that pillow?" He asked and she obliged. He picked up a blanket off the bed and set them down on the floor. He walked back towards the door to turn the light off but before he did Rachel spoke.  
"Jesse?" She began and he raised his eyebrows at her, "Can you do me a favor?" She asked.

"What?" He answered.

"Can you go into my suitcase and get the bottle of Advil, my head hurts." She asked him and he nodded walking over to her suitcase.

He unzipped it and was surprised to see a lacy, suggestive piece of black lingerie on the very top. He pulled it out, _I'm going to have some fun with her_, and held it out turning towards her.

"Umm, Rachel?" He asked and she sat up and opened her eyes, which immediately showed panic. _Shit! I forgot about that, how am I going to get out this?_

"What's this for?" He finished with a smirk.

"I-I-I," Was all she could stutter out.

"Were you hoping something was going to happen?" He asked with that smirk still on his face.

"No! Of course not!" She said her face turning red and he raised his eyebrows out her, but didn't say anything.

He put the lingerie back in the suitcase, just the way he found it and pulled out the bottle of Advil and gave her a bottle of water along with it.

"Thanks." She muttered quietly, still red over what happened moments ago.

He turned the lights off and laid down on the floor but didn't close his eyes, just stared at the ceiling, the same thing Rachel was doing. Time passed and he thought Rachel was asleep until he heard her speak.

"Jesse?" She muttered quietly, but he didn't answer. She sighed. "I love you." She whispered quietly, thinking he was asleep.

"Rachel?" He began to speak in the darkness, "I don't think we can wait till the morning."


	3. Chapter 3

"W-w-w-why?" Rachel stuttered out.

"Because I just heard you Rach. Come on, we need to talk." Jesse said standing up and turning the light on and climbing on the bed next to her. He took her hand in his and looked her in the eyes.

"Now, Rachel, I know you probably have some questions for me. But have some for you as well." Jesse began saying and she nodded. "You first."

She sighed but began to speak. "How's UCLA?"

"Cut the crap, Rach." He snapped. "What do you really want to know? Otherwise you wouldn't have come here, all the way from Ohio."

She sighed again, "Alright fine. Why did you leave? With no explanation or anything, don't you think I at least deserved that?"

"Of course Rachel, you deserve a lot of things. But I'm not one of them, or the other way around. _I _don't deserve _you"_

Neither of them spoke.

"I know you tried to see me, the day I left." Jesse said breaking the silence of the room.

"How?" Rachel replied looking up at him, for she had been staring at the covers on his bed.

"Maria." He answered.

"Little snitch…." Rachel replied. He smiled and laughed quietly. The room was quiet again, and neither said anything until Jesse again broke the silence.

"Do you have anymore questions?"

"Yes."

"Well what are they?"

"Was it a lie? Was it all a lie, Jesse?" She whispered quietly, a few tears streaming down her face.

"No. We were real, Rachel."

"Then why? Why the eggs? Why the betrayal? Why couldn't you just have told me you were going back to Carmel, I would have understood. Or at least tried too, it would have been a lot better then seeing you onstage with the rest of them with no warning."

He sighed. "We started our real, Rach. I swear. After seeing you at Sectionals, hearing your voice which blew the rest of the Vocal Adrenaline girls out of the water, I had to find you. I had to know you. I had to sing with you. When we met in the music store, it was a complete coincidence. But I recognized you immediately. And you, of course, did too." He said with a smile. Rachel's cheeks turned a soft pink but Jesse continued. "We sang, and I liked you. A lot. But when Shelby found out about us, I really don't know how, but I've learned not to question her methods." He said shuttering and Rachel giggled. "Well, she decided to use us for her benefit. To meet you, I swear Rachel none of it was ever supposed to hurt you, or your chance at Regionals or anything like that; it was just about you meeting Shelby."

She nodded and showed she believed him and he sighed and began to speak again. "And then I convinced Shelby that transferring to McKinley was the best way to reunite you. She didn't understand at first, I told her that I had to gain your full trust, and leaving Vocal Adrenaline would do that." She nodded and a few more tears trickled down her face. "But that wasn't the truth." Her head flew up and looked at him quizzically. "I could have gained your trust without transferring, I mean look at me." Rachel broke out into a smile and playfully pushed his shoulder.

Jesse laughed, but Rachel spoke, "Then what is the truth? Why did you transfer, if you were so sure you'd gain my trust anyway?" She said with a smile.

"I wanted to be closer to you, be with you more. Get to know you better." Jesse answered with a genuine smile. "I was really starting to like you Rach, and I thought if I told you the truth, we could still be together. You would meet Shelby, I would go back to Vocal Adrenaline and everything would be fine. But then came the Run Joey Run video." He said with a sigh and Rachel dropped her head in shame.

"That made me realize something Rach, I was here for Shelby. Though I admit we would still probably be together if she hadn't asked me to do this for her, but still. So I sucked up my pride and came back after Spring Break. I gave you the tape. And then I left. I just wanted you to continue your life as if I had never entered, but Vocal Adrenaline had other ideas. They said I had to prove my loyalty. And I guess you know the rest, I chose my career over you. Do I regret it? Everyday. I should have known that only Shelby would be able to take away my solo, or kick me out. But when they made those threats I was under a lot of pressure. And my judgment was under their influence and threats, and I did what I did. And I can't take it back, but I hope you can forgive me." He finished and Rachel looked up at him.

"I forgive you." She muttered quietly.

"Thanks Rach. Is that all you're questions?" She nodded. "My turn?" She nodded again.

"Alright, first, why did you go to see me the day I left?"

"I knew you were leaving, I just wanted to see you again. Get some answers. But you were already gone." She said quietly.

He nodded. "Why are you here, now?"

She sighed. "Pretty much the same reasons, I got too fed up of having no answers. I needed them, Jess. So I flew out here to get them. And I wanted to see you." She said, blushing again.

He smiled. "Did you miss me?" He asked playfully.

"Yes." She answered seriously. "The longer and longer I hadn't seen you the more things kept reminding me of you. Something you said, something about us. I busted out in tears when Quinn turned Romeo and Juliet on." She finished laughing.

He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

I whispered into her ear, his cool breath sending shivers down her spine. "I missed you too, babe."

She pulled away and stared into his eyes. It seemed like forever, that they just looked at each other. Until Jesse starting leaning in, and Rachel didn't back away.

He laid a soft, but passionate, kiss on her lips. She let herself melt into it and granted his tongue access to her mouth.

Their kiss started getting more and more heated and Jesse grabbed Rachel's hips and slid her so she was on her back and he was hovering above her.

He moved his mouth to her neck and kissed her in the spot he knew drove her crazy. He smirked as she moaned his name.

Just then the door flew open to show a very intoxicated man standing there.

"Whoa, wait to go Jess!" John, the boy who helped Rachel find Jesse's room, yelled with a drunken smile on his face, "Oh hey Rachel! I see you found Jesse."

Rachel turned red and Jesse chucked a pillow at him. "Get out of here, man!"

John laughed and turned and shut the door behind him.

"Sorry." Jesse muttered and Rachel took his hand in understanding. "I do have one more question for you." Jesse said and Rachel raised her eyebrows.

"What were you planning with that little piece of lingerie?" He asked with a smirk, and what felt like the hundredth time that night, Jesse made her cheeks flame red.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

**I'm so sorry it took me so long to update this. I've had ideas with other stories and have been working on those, and had writers block with this story. I'm also sorry this was so short, but I just wanted to get it uploaded. **

** I have been really busy lately and have had a lot of stuff going on.**

** I just got back from a week's vacation visiting my sister and she doesn't have a computer so I couldn't work on it there, and I've had a lot of volleyball practices, and working.**

** I've also been really upset lately, because a really good friend of the family, he's like my uncle, his daughter was best friends with my sister while they were in grade school and high school and my parents and him and his wife have always been really close friends. I mean I know I can count on him for anything, and I can trust him, me and my sisters used to stay the night at their house when my parents would have to go out of town.**

** Well, last weekend, he was diagnosed with ALS, or more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. It has no cure. And we don't know how long he has to live, I did some research and about 50% of people with this live from 3-5 years from their diagnoses, but we're hoping since he's a little bit younger than the average people that get it that he'll have longer to live.**

** He's not as upset about as his family because he knows he's going to heaven. He's not scared of death, but more of what his death will do to the people he loves. He's scared he'll miss his son's wedding, he just had a grandchild. **

** But I've just been really emotional, crying when I go to sleep, so if you could pray for him it would be greatly appreciated. **


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